


oath keeping

by synergies



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, M/M, anyways. since this spans several games. kh3 spoilers at the end, i mean. technically there are other's and it's more implied so. kind of could be read as gen?, this was supposed to be like a five times thing w/ promises but i can't shut up so it's six
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 04:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19143367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synergies/pseuds/synergies
Summary: Some promises are kept, some are broken.( Or: Six promises that Riku makes to Sora )





	oath keeping

### ( pinky promises, cross my heart and hope to die )

“Riku!” Sora whines after him, a sound that is almost grating on ears. When he doesn’t say anything, he whines louder and Riku laughs; pausing to allow the other to catch up with him, while he catches his breath.

“What? I said I was sorry, didn’t I? It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention.” He’s as smug as a four year old can be, and turns his head to look at the other, and— uh-oh. That was the wrong thing to say, apparently, given the way Sora puffs up his cheeks, turning teary eyes upon him.

“No fair, you cheated!” Being older and stronger and not being easily distracted isn’t cheating, is what Riku would like to say, but that’s not going to help. Even if he’s right, Sora isn’t going to want to listen logics right now. There’s no being logical with a ( barely ) four year old Sora on the verge of throwing a fit.

“Sora, I said I was sorry.” He mutters ( which is true, he was! He’d thought he was paying attention and thus, fair game ); which is still not the thing Sora wants to hear, if the return of his whine is to be any indication. Riku sighs, offering his hand out towards him, one finger extended— a gesture that he knows will work time and time again. Arguably a cheap tactic to sate him, but what works, works; nothing wrong with taking advantage of that fact. Sora has always been such a child, placated with gestures like these ( Riku laughs to himself at the fact that as expected, he is quick to latch onto the gesture, like many times before ).

“It won’t happen again, promise.” He assures and smiles to himself when he feels the tightening of a finger around his own; knows that even if such promises aren’t kept, there will always be a way to mend them.

* * *

**_i._ **

“I meant it, you know.” Sora speaks suddenly, breaking the silence— it is not unlike him, really; child doesn’t like much silence. Riku doesn’t mind it, a small tilt of his head and an inquisitive hum as an indication to continue speaking whilst they sit and watch the night sky. “You’re my best friend, Riku. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe. Promise.”

Ah, so that’s what he’s talking about. The lady that had shown up at the island. Riku doesn’t really care to remember stuff like that ( the promises, that is— he may remember the people forever and ever, proof that there is a world that exists far beyond his reach is a treasure that he cannot put into words ). It’s so like Sora to get hung up on the sentimentality of something like that— does a kid like him even comprehend the weight of the words that he says? Probably not. It is for the best, honestly, Sora would just try and take things too seriously.

( One of them should be able to act like the children they are, after all )

“No, I’ll protect you. I swear it.” He speaks to himself, a soft murmur under his breath. Even from himself— he’ll save him from having to bear that weight.

_We’ll always be together, I promise._

“Did you say something, Riku?” He is pulled from his thoughts; starts slightly at the sound of the other’s voice, a little closer than it had been before. Sora’s expression is curious, so he probably doesn’t have to worry that he heard anything.

“Nothing.” Riku shakes his head at him, grabbing their wooden swords as he gets up with a smirk and takes off. “Last one home has to clean the boats tomorrow!”

“Riku, no fair!” Sora calls after him with a yelp; but the sound of footsteps follow his, a good-natured laugh from the both of them as they race back towards town.

Above them, the sky is a dazzling sight of shooting stars.

* * *

**_ii._ **

“You wouldn’t try and leave the island without me, right?”

Riku opens an eye to look at the brunet from where he is perched on the tree, raising a brow at him. “Hello to you too. Did you already help Kairi out with the raft today, or have you come to slack off?”

“Riku, I’m serious.” Sora whines, hopping up onto the trunk to sit next to him.

“So am I. It’s not going to build itself, you know.” Still, Riku sits up to make room for him— when they were kids, there’d always seemed like there was so much room there. Now, they can hardly sit comfortably without touching. He’s not— he doesn’t know what to think.

“I brought Kairi the stuff she needs for the sail. Now answer the question.” He blinks; he knows Sora gets more temperamental when he’s impatient ( but what exactly brought this on, he has no clue ).

“Of course not. We always promised, that we’d go explore the other worlds together. That didn’t change when we agreed to take Kairi with us.” Is it because they’d been more serious about the subject recently? Because they’ve actually made progress recently and could actually leave soon? Can Sora tell that he’s itching to leave all of this behind and be free? Riku isn’t entirely sure what’s going on, watching the way he relaxes as soon as he speaks.

“Good! I was just making sure that you haven’t changed your mind.” Riku rolls his eyes, idly swinging his legs.

“You were rubbing the back of your neck.” As if Sora could really fool him. He ignores the noise of confusion ( or rather, surprise, he thinks ) that he voices, continuing to speak. “You were lying. What’s really on your mind?”

Sora is quiet for a few moments— despite popular belief, Sora was very capable of being silent when the occasion called for it— seemingly reluctant to admit to whatever it was that was bothering him. “It’s just...haven’t you noticed? We haven’t really been...spending time together like we used to. Like we’re getting distant. I just...missed it. It was silly of me to think you’d leave us behind.”

Sora’s right, when Riku thinks about it. With how much effort they had been making with the raft ( well, some of them had been making, anyways ), there wasn’t time to hang out and play like they used to. They aren’t kids anymore, he rationalizes, they don’t really need to hang out like that all the time. But...can he fault Sora for feeling left behind? Of course not, even if he’s not entirely sure how he got such an idea in his mind. “You want to share another paopu so I can’t leave you behind?” He teases, elbowing his side ( there’s something reassuring about knowing that he’s been missed, even if it’s a thought that hadn’t exactly crossed his mind before this ). “Come on Sora, you know I’m not going without you. We always swore that we’d go together to explore the other worlds. I’m not breaking that promise. Remember? Cross my heart and hope to die.” He does his best to not snicker at such childish words, lest Sora think he is any less serious. He can break any other number of promises, but that one— at least that one, he has to keep.

( That’s the one promise that would kill him to break )

That seems to click with him, as an arm is slung around his shoulders and Sora pulls him in closer, smile radiant. “Yeah, I know! If you go off without me, then I’ll just come after you and bring you home. Pinky swear!”

He snorts at that; such a child at heart, Sora still is— he hopes he can stay that way, that no matter what happens in the future, that part of him won’t change. Riku watches him for a moment before nodding, a fondness distant in his gaze as he stares out at the horizon; something wistful in his chest.

He hopes it is not too selfish to wish that a day like the one he has described never comes to be.

* * *

**_iii._ **

The atmosphere is suffocating in the room, sometimes. The walls are so blank, so white and suffocating; like a prison, he cannot imagine what it must feel like to stay there all the time ( in that case, it’s understandable why Naminé must like putting up pictures on the walls— bring some life in the room ). He can’t help but get the feeling Sora would hate it, so it is probably for the best that he is asleep while he is stuck here.

“Sorry,” Riku murmurs when he realizes that he’s been ignoring her, if the curious look the blonde gives him is to be of any indication. He’s thankful for the fact she is patient with him. “Can I...” Can he what? He has no right to be asking anything of her— they are the same, in that sense, perhaps. There’s a moment of silence as he takes a moment to mull over what he wants, properly put together the words he wants to voice. “I just need a moment alone.”

Just a moment with him, even if he’s not awake for it.

Naminé seems understanding of it ( of course she would be, she’s held so many threads of their memories in her hands ), a soft murmur of words he can’t quite catch before she leaves him be. Riku is quiet as he stares up at the pod, tugging up his blindfold slightly before tentatively taking a step closer.

“Sora.” He exhales softly; even just that much, just a name, feels right. “Sorry. It’s...hard remembering, sometimes. Part of the process, apparently. I could never forget about you entirely though.” No, he’s too memorable— something says that no matter what, some part of him would still remember Sora in the end. Erase the memories, but never the feelings. A pause, before he tentatively reaches a hand up to press just barely against the front of the pod. “I think— no, I know I’ve forgotten some important things. I think...I’ve broken a promise I made. Not that’s anything new, is it? I did that before, and yet...every time you forgave me. You really shouldn’t have.”

Bits and pieces of memories that he can’t tell are his stick out in his mind, echoes of promises and oaths are kept somewhere in his chest. Perhaps it is odd to be saying these things to someone who can’t hear him, but there is a comfort in saying them aloud ( and truthfully, Riku knows he is too cowardly to ever actually say them to Sora’s face ). “I know it doesn’t matter, but…until I can remember, I’ll make a new promise. To make sure you stay safe.”

To make sure he can wake up all right. That is his goal, so it should be okay to make that promise. He pulls his hand back as he steps away, nodding to himself; spares him one last look before tugging his blindfold back into place as he leaves.

_Sora, I’ll prove that I’ve grown. I can protect you both this time. I swear it._

He can’t help but wonder if he imagined a warmth enveloping his hand when he spoke those words.

* * *

**_iv._ **

“Are you ready?” Riku pauses a little at the sound of the other speaking, eyes just barely peeking out from behind his bangs. It feels odd, in a sense, to be here with him, when he has spent so much time on his own before this— so much time trying to keep him safely in the dark ( which of them he was really trying to protect, Sora or himself, is debatable ). There are things he wants to say, things that he needs to say, but now it’s not the time for it. No, there will be time for it later; he has already waited all this time that a little longer will not hurt at the end of the day. “Riku? Did you hear me?” Sora’s voice sounds once again, and Riku offers him a small shake of his head and an apologetic grimace.

“Sorry. I was just thinking about something. What were you saying?” He opts to ignore the frown that he gets for that response, instead choosing to watch the others ( force of habit, really, he’s spent so much time as an outsider lately, just watching from a distance while he went his own way ).

“I was asking if you’re ready? You look a little pale, Riku. I don’t think anyone would be upset with you if you needed to sit out on this one.” Is that all it was? He is, admittedly, a bit clammy, but shrugs off the other’s concern.

“Probably just from wearing that cloak. It was a little warm. Besides, I’ve always been a little pale, you’ve said so yourself.”

“Riku,” Sora grabs onto his arm, voice soft, but stern. “Riku, your hands are shaking.”

He pauses to glance down at his arms, as if in disbelief ( Sora is correct, of course, although he’s not sure when he started shaking ); then does his best to shake off the other’s grip. “I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“Riku!” The brunet speaks more insistently this time, refusing to let the topic be dropped so quickly— or let go of him either, Riku has to remind himself that Sora’s gotten stronger too. “We just talked about this. You can depend on us too, you know. You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore. We always promised to do things together, right? So we’re going to do this together too.”

Riku is pretty sure those promises do not apply to a situation like this, but he appreciates the sentiment— he understands what Sora point is trying to make. “I’ll be fine...or at least, I’ll feel better once we’re done with this place.” It’s not the real issue at hand, but he hopes he sounds reassuring enough.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” The brunet tugs on his arm and starts dragging him towards the stairwell all too enthusiastically. Whether Sora actually believes him, or is simply choosing to tackle one issue at a time— well, he’ll settle for whatever this is.

Yes, Riku thinks. Let’s go.

Maybe then he’ll finally be able to keep his promises.

* * *

**iv _s._**

“And you promise it won’t hurt?” He asks yet again, and the journal— he tries to hide a grimace when he has to nod.

“You won’t feel a thing.” Not as far as Sora would remember, anyways. There’s something cruel about being left to be the one that has to make this choice, but...it’s fine. He’s just a journal as far as anyone was concerned, they were just pieces of data to everyone else, weren’t they? Not entirely real; he doesn’t have that capacity to feel, as far as anyone else was aware of.

( He may not have a capacity to feel, but what about Sora? Did they really think that pieces of data just acted like that? )

“Mm, well...okay Riku. I don’t really know if I like what you’re saying, but I trust you.”

Of course Sora does, he thinks bitterly. Even when he doesn’t have a clue what he’s telling him, Riku has his trust— he doesn’t deserve even that.

“Alright.” He says, a sigh; reluctantly, the journal knows he needs to leave before he feels compelled to change his mind. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

“You promise?” Sora’s voice crackles through the screen that separates them.

“I promise.” He echoes back, slightly comforted when he sees the smile Sora has on his face as he says farewell.

( Is there any real weight to words said by pieces of data like them? How much does that promise really bind them, when one of them won’t even remember? )

That smile, that promise— those are the things he chooses to hold onto, even when the other forgets.

* * *

_**v.** _

Something beckons to him from the depths of sleep— like a harsh tug on his soul that calls for him to awaken. And something else warm, familiar to him, washes over and soothes him as if to send him back to sleep.

**_Riku!_ **

But the beckoning cuts through the fog of sleep.

What is it that is calling to him?

Protect. Like it is in his instincts, he needs to protect, he thinks. But protect what? What is missing here?

_Sora!_

Sora. That is the name of the warmth that surrounds him. Where is Sora? He’s not...not supposed to be alone like this.

Can he protect him if he stays here in the warmth? If the warmth is where Sora is, maybe he can protect him by staying here with him. Riku follows the feeling beckoning to him and goes to sleep once more.

Maybe in his dreams, he can finally keep his promise to keep them safe.

Elsewhere, he awakens.

* * *

_**vi.** _

“Are you leaving now?” Riku’s not sure where she came from, but Kairi has apparently invited herself into his room. He spares her a glance before resuming packing ( it’s the bare essentials really, but given the fact he has no clue where his search will lead, there’s no harm in being a little extra prepared ).

“As soon as everything finally settles, yes. I think...I think we’ve waited long enough. We’ve kept him waiting long enough. Either way, we don’t even know where to look. Might as well get started. It’s not like I’m going alone either.”

She hums, assisting with making his bag seem a bit more organized. “I know. Be careful? You know if something happens to you, he’s just going to go back after you. Don’t make it all for nothing. I want both of you back home, safe and sound.”

Home. Hah, that’s a thought. Can they really call it home, without both of them there? “No promises. Taking risks like Sora might be the key to get him back.”

Kairi sighs at him ( but really, did she expect anything else from him? ), before shoving something into his hand. “Take this, at least. It’ll make me feel better.”

Riku smiles at the charm in his hand, carefully tucks it away for safe keeping ( once, he might’ve been jealous of Sora over a silly thing like this ). Even if that’s all Riku felt like he’s done is chase Sora’s shadow all this time; it feels fitting, kind of, that it’s his turn now.

 _I’ll just come after you and bring you home._ Sora’s voice rings in his head; a promise long ago, almost forgotten. Yes, he’d always said that he’d bring him home— maybe it’s his turn to do so for a change.

A promise that he makes to himself, and keeps.

**Author's Note:**

> I started this months ago and finally got around to finishing it up. I always think about the pinky promise Sora and Naminé do in COM and can't help but imagine it's a habit Sora picked up on as kids w/ Riku. IDK, I just wanted some cute Soriku except I haven't learned how to not write Riku u.u I hope it was enjoyable nonetheless.
> 
> For anyone curious, s was used as a Roman numeral for half and it was the closest thing I could think to make things work because I didn't want to break the numbering.


End file.
